Real as F*ck Guide for New Real Estate Agents

By Julie Chin

Navigate the path ahead and make the decisions that are right for you, right now!
You've already learned so much as you prepared for the real estate license exam. By now, you've probably run into a long list of other aspects of real estate that weren't covered in the exam. The "Real As F*ck Guide" is packed with the answers to questions you may have now and will likely encounter later. As a REALTOR® and team lead of Rock Star Luxe at Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty, Julie Chin created this guide from her experiences as a new solo agent, and now team lead. There were several things that she had to learn the hard way! Reading this book will save you from the same frustrations and challenges as you learn what to look for and avoid on your career path.
Do your future self a favor - read this book and ignite your career in real estate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667893891

Book preview

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Real As F*ck Guide For New Real Estate Agents

© 2023 by Julie Chin

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN (Print): 978-1-66789-388-4

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-66789-389-1

You passed the Real Estate Exam,

now what?!@#%

Introduction

Before I entered real estate, I had spent over 20 years as a stay-at-home mom. Then, in 2013, I found myself in the middle of a highly emotional divorce. Earning an income on my own was a foreign concept to me — I had spent much of my adult life homeschooling my three daughters, spending every day teaching, cleaning and cooking. When it came to making a resume, my professional qualifications at the time were hardly impressive for a 50-year-old woman — although when it came to juggling 3 different kiddo personalities and learning styles and sneakily eating chocolate without being caught, I was an expert! As scared as I was about the prospect of standing on my own financially, it wasn’t enough for me to remain in an unfulfilling relationship for the sake of financial security. I’m sure some of you share the same feelings I felt at the time: Am I being a dumbass?

I didn’t know where to begin, but still, I heard my mom’s distant rhetoric in my head saying a woman NEEDS an education. At 46, I was embarrassed to find myself uneducated, unprepared and overwhelmed by the idea of being the oldest student in school that it took me nearly two years to get the courage to enroll at the local college. Finally, at the end of 2014, I made the call. I was filled with trepidation as I reached for the door knob to enter this scary new world. But the counselor I sat down with during my first appointment at school quickly made me feel comfortable and even excited for my new adventure. After two hours, I left the appointment enrolled in my first classes and with a deep belief in myself that I could do it! Suddenly, I didn’t feel so old.

I’ll spare you the drama of emotion and tears that came with trying to learn how to use the school’s latest and greatest technology for the first time. Let’s just say my teenager was my tutor and cheerleader, always ready with a Mom, you’ve got this! I didn’t share her optimism, but she believed in me enough for the both of us. In 2018, at the age of 50, I completed college with a 3.98 GPA, adorned in honor tassels, as my daughters proudly watched as I received my degree in psychology.

On such a high, I made calls looking for employment. I was finally ready to make my own way and earn my own money. But then reality set in — I learned the going hourly rate in my field was $10.50 per hour. What the hell?! My daughter was working at Michael’s Craft store for more than that. I called the school counselor to formulate a plan. She told me I would need a master’s degree if I wanted to start my own practice, and in turn, make a higher wage.

Fine, I thought. Sign me up so I can get this done!

Unfortunately, you need actual work experience before you can enter their masters program, she said, which of course, I didn’t have. As a single mom of three trying to figure out how to be self-sufficient, the last thing I had time for was gaining experience at $10.50 an hour! At that moment, it felt like all my hard work during three years of schooling was for nothing. Not to mention all the money I had spent.

During this same time period, I was slow to learn that I couldn’t keep up the lifestyle the kids and I were accustomed to. Drowning in over $100,000 in debt, I realized I had no choice but to face my children. Full of shame and absolute humiliation, I fessed up and let them know that all the trips and shopping we had been enjoying since the divorce had begun had all been piling up on credit cards. Even though I didn’t have the money, I was trying to normalize life for my kids in an attempt to not add additional stress or changes to their lives, regardless of the consequences. I’ve always been a planner, but I seriously had no idea how the hell was I going to ever get myself out of this hole I dug. And it felt like the walls of the hole were caving in. The mom guilt was suffocating, and life was about to change even more for my sweet kiddos. And they’d already gone through so much during the four-year divorce.

It was time to go back to the drawing board. In 2017, I had taken a three-month real estate course on top of my college courses, but I was so afraid of the exam that I never took it. Fortunately, after completing college, I found the confidence to face the exam. I passed the national exam on my first attempt, but failed the state portion. Undeterred, I went home, immediately signed up to take it again, and studied my ass off.

When I passed the real estate exam in 2018, the short-lived excitement over my accomplishment was soon forgotten, instead replaced with uncertainty about how to do the job. Clueless and desperate, I forged ahead, determined to make this work. Some thought I was too shy to be able to succeed, but inside I knew even if I did it slowly, I would figure out a way — failure wasn’t an option. A few weeks after I passed the exam, I excitedly got ready to attend my first brokerage meeting. While it wasn’t easy to walk in alone without knowing anyone, I knew I needed to push through my nerves. I